The situation is critical: NYCFC must beat Nashville SC at home

This weekend, New York City FC will play their first Major League Soccer match since the team was ousted from the Leagues Cup. They were supposed to play last weekend, but poor pitch conditions at Citi Field led to the postponement of the Columbus Crew match. Therefore, the first game back will be against Nashville SC, and it will be critical.

To paint the picture, NYCFC is in a playoff position. However, the Boys in Blue sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The team is coming off a poor Leagues Cup run, and they did not look like a team that could contend in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

However, the good news is that the Pigeons' last four MLS games were on the road, and they went 2-1-1. It was not a pretty road trip, especially the bonkers road win in Dallas. They also won their last two regular-season home matches.

NYCFC must win against Nashville SC

The upcoming game will be critical, though, for NYCFC must set the tone for the rest of their home games and the season as a whole. That is why it is vital that the evening ends with all three points. There are ten games left, and six of those are home at Yankee Stadium or Citi Field, wth the final home fixture's location to be determined. Not winning this weekend could be detrimental in the chase to climb up the table.

Plus, if NYCFC wins all six of the home games, then they would be guaranteed 56 points on the season even if they lost on the road. That would be more than the 50 they earned last season.

Of course, winning six of the final ten matches during a season full of inconsistency might be a long shot. Regardless, the roster is a talented one, and hopefully, there will be at least one more big summer signing before the secondary transfer window closes.

The concern as NYCFC enters this weekend's battle is the defense. In MLS, even before Thiago Martins' injury, the backline has struggled. But in the last four matches in all competitions, in his absence, the Pigeons have allowed eight goals. Nashville is extremely talented offensively and has scored 43 goals this season. The teams might have shared the points in the opposite fixture, but the current concerns are valid.

Ideally, the Bronx side has been working diligently over the last few weeks to tighten the backline. Again, this is a critical time for NYCFC, and the team needs to win if they want to climb the table. Otherwise, a poor start to the final part of the season could hurt the drive to be better than last year and put the team at risk of barely making the playoffs or not at all.